Dork in the Bowtie
by TatteLatte
Summary: Kurt is a popular Cheerio until his grades slip up and he's assigned a tutor. The problem is, it's his best friend's twin brother, Blaine. Will Kurt maintain his reputation while hanging out with a nerd like Blaine? Will he fall for him?
1. Chapter 1: A Berry Bad Blackmail

**So this is my first fanfiction! It's a combination of Anderberry!Siblings and Cheerio!Kurt / Nerd!Blaine so I hope you enjoy.**

**(to be perfectly honest, not a huge amount of time was poured into this)**

**I do not own Glee, guys! Easy mistake to make.**

**EDIT:**

**I have edited this chapter! I know I stopped updating, but I was really unsatisfied with the writing. Hope you like this!**

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><p>"A tutor?"<p>

Coach Sue nodded boredly in response. "You're grades have dropped."

Kurt's jaw dropped open in disbelief, but after a moment of floundering, he found his voice again.

"Why can't you just fix it like you usually do?" he asked, the words bursting out and toppling over one another. While her methods remained a mystery, the coach had ways of keeping Cheerios in school and on the squad.

"As you recall, Porcelain, I suffered a devastating loss last year after my key players-" she glared directly at him "-decided to abandon the team because of a minor health risk." Kurt resisted the urge to scoff as he recalled the cannon Brittany had almost been shot out of. "Without a Nationals trophy from last year," she continued. "I can't pull any strings."

"And what about Brittany? Her grades are a lot worse than mine!" Kurt fought desperately, though he knew he was going to lose this battle.

"Becky volunteered to help her."

"B-but Coach," Kurt stuttered out, "I can't be tutored. Between Cheerios practice and Glee, I just don't have time."

"While I can't pull strings with your grades anymore, I managed to get someone transferred here into most of your classes," she said, adjusting random items on her desk. "He's also well known for his singing, so I assume he'll be in glee club. Not that it takes any talent to get in. He can tutor you during your free period and before future unemployment practice."

Kurt was at a loss for words, his only attempts at eliminating the situation failing. He was quickly running through the coach's plan, trying to find some sort of loophole. Noticing the fear clearly etched on Kurt's face, she smiled insincerely.

"Don't worry, Porcelain. I got the best nerd blackmail can buy."

"And who would that be?" Kurt asked once he had realized all attempts to stop this were futile.

"The slightly more masculine half of the Berry twins." Coach Sue said, looking up from a plaque she had just straightened.

Kurt's eyes grew wide as he gasped.

"The dork with the bowties, glasses, and gel helmet?"

Sue gave him a look clearly expressing he had overstayed his welcome. Kurt left her office with a huff, making his way to Rachel's locker, hoping to find out how badly his reputation was being hit.

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><p>Rachel knew of the situation, of course, when Kurt found her. She seemed a bit timid as Kurt approached her with all the rage he had held back in his coach's office. As soon as Kurt opened his mouth to demand information out of her, she began talking.<p>

"It's bad."

"How bad?" Kurt growled.

"You've seen him at my house so you know about the lack of fashion sense. Then there are the improv performances, unhealthy obsession with popular female singers, and adoration of most school subjects." She counted off each one on her fingers.

"He really is your brother." Kurt smirked a little, momentarily forgetting his anger. The remark, however, was met with a smack to his shoulder.

"Top 40 artists, Kurt. Not classy, timeless women. Besides, I know you can't completely despise him." she said, grinning mischievously.

"And what makes you say that?" Kurt demanded, frustration returning easily after Rachel's abuse.

"He's a wonderful actor and singer by blood," she stated pointedly. "Has a great jawline, and is as eager as a puppy."

"Still not hearing the good part." Kurt sighed, knowing he should have expected some bragging. He leaned his shoulder against the row of lockers and pursed his lips, waiting to find out how his popularity could possibly be saved.

"Did I mention he's gay?"

Kurt felt his knees give out, but he managed to catch himself and stand up straight, glancing around to make sure no one saw his momentary lapse in balance. He looked back at Rachel, intrigued.

"I'm listening."

"Alright, then, Señor Desperate." she smirked.

"I'm not desperate. I'm interested. I can't believe you never told me!"

"Yeah, it's why he goes - well, went - to Dalton Academy. He got bullied pretty badly." she said, her expression becoming less confident.

Kurt couldn't help but smirk at this, nudging Rachel's shoulder.

"I wonder how that feels."

"It got really bad," she continued seriously, "He came home from the Sadie's dance freshman year really bruised up. He even broke a few bones."

Kurt suddenly felt his stomach sink. Blaine got bullied worse than Kurt ever had before Cheerios. So much so that he had to run away. Now, thanks to a certain someone's report card, he was being dragged back.

"Well, now I'm going to be ostracized and guilty," Kurt muttered bitterly.

"Don't feel bad," she reassured him. "My dads were probably going to have him transfer, anyway. Dalton is a really expensive school."

Kurt's uneasiness about forcing her brother into this wasn't something that could be helped. He nodded to Rachel with a quick, "well, bye" before heading to class.

As he walked, his mind wandered. Part of it was contemplating ways to get out of this, or at least hide it from the rest of the school. Being a Cheerio had made him a big deal, and he wasn't about to through that away. But the other part was thinking about hushed giggles at the Berry's, admiring Blaine as he played guitar in his room, unaware of his audience. This couldn't be that bad, could it?


	2. Chapter 2: A Berry Warm Welcome

**Wow, this got a great response so here's another chapter!**

**Still haven't bought Glee, but I'll continue to save up. Until then, I do not own it.**

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><p>It was that bad.<p>

The next day, Kurt was quickly informed by his freshman spies of Blaine's presence at the school. It hadn't gone down well, ending with Blaine sitting in a dumpster, only to be found second period, curled in the fetal position. While he had been extracted by Mr. Schuester, there was a lot of time spent at the nurse. Obviously, McKinley wasn't warming up to his academic enthusiasm.

Impatient to see the boy, Kurt soon realized Sue wasn't lying when she said they had most classes together. Kurt found him in his third period math class, eyes red, and smelling like rotten fruit. He felt a lump in his throat, wanting nothing more than to reach out to Blaine. His shoulders were hunched, gaze focused on the desktop as Kurt walked past to his seat. He told himself Blaine would probably want time alone, though he knew why he was really ignoring him. It had everything to do with Santana peering at him curiously from the corner.

When fifth came around, his free period, Kurt was surprised to see Blaine already in the library, reading a thick hardcover book at one of the tables. What he was not surprised to see was wet hair and blue stains on his cardigan. While Rachel had assured him her brother was often enthusiastic, Kurt now saw a soft look of misery and resignation on his face. When approached, the tired boy sighed heavily.

"You'd think this school would be in better shape with everyone buying frozen beverages. If you'd like to throw another one in my face, feel free, but know my face is already numb."

Kurt grinned at his attempt at humor, knowing the eager puppy Rachel had described was still there, as he sat down across from him.

"They're sold by a separate company. The school makes hardly any money from it," he said confidently.

"And you know this... how?" Blaine asked curiously.

"Research from my campaign to have them banned."

"I'm assuming it didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" Blaine questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not exactly. Six slushies to the face in a row as well as a stern talking to by Figgins about posters policy." Kurt shrugged and extended his hand. "Kurt Hummel."

"Ah," muttered Blaine, clasping Kurt hand and shaking it briefly, "I couldn't recognize you with the cheerleading uniform."

"Not remembering me from your birthday party sophomore year? Because I can fill you in on how completely drunk you got before you jumped on stage with Rachel, deciding to sing 'Don't You Want Me' to each other." Kurt replied, smirking.

"And now I definitely remember."

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer me explaining in great detail how many times you said the word 'brother'?"

They laughed together for a moment before Kurt realized what he should be doing.

"Um, so the schoolwork." he said, beginning to fidget.

Blaine nodded quickly, fumbling with his folders for a minute before pulling out some papers. As he read quickly through them, he pushed his thick, wire-rimmed glasses up his nose.

"Miss Sylvester gave me some note on your classes, and I can help you with most of them. The only one I don't know about is French. I know a little, but-"

"That's fine, Blaine. I don't need help with French. I speak it fluently."

"Then why are you taking the class?" Blaine asked incredulously.

"It's a good grade on the report card. Couldn't hurt."

Blaine's mouth hung slightly open as he stared at Kurt, brow furrowed.

"But- but you're not learning anything. You could be spending that class being taught something or being producti-"

"Relax, Berry. Not everyone is as much of a nerd as you."

Blaine winced at the comment, looking down. He looked hurt by it so Kurt avoided eye contact until they began a conversation on the homework of the day. Blaine's smiles never quite reached his eyes and Kurt's stomach never untwisted.

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><p>It wasn't until after his last class that Kurt was cornered.<p>

"Who's the dweeb?"

Kurt glanced at Santana before sighing and closing his locker.

"Coach says I need to get my grades up. Blaine Berry is the tutor that she gave me."

Santana looked at him expectantly for a moment, but spoke when he didn't continue.

"That's all that's happening?"

Kurt began walking down the hallway towards the library. Blaine couldn't tutor him before glee club today, but a little studying wouldn't hurt. He didn't realize Santana was following him until she stepped in his path, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. That is all that's happening," Kurt said before walking around her, though she continued to walk beside him.

"So the bedroom eyes you were making at him in math were nothing?"

Kurt step faltered for a second before he composed himself, striding ahead and out of Santana's reach.

"Exactly," he threw over his shoulder.

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><p><strong>I told myself I would write something long.<strong>

**This is what it ends up being.**

**Sorry! I just wanted to save glee practice for the next chapter. I'll try to update more often, but I can't promise anything incredibly long. Someone did mention something about my grammar in the last chapter, but I'm not sure what it was. Hopefully this is better.**


	3. Chapter 3: Why Should I Worry?

**Okay, this is pitifully short, but it is _packed_ so bear with me.**

**Fueled by the adrenaline of a song search, I got this chapter done really quickly!**

**Still not in ownership of Glee, though I've been told I look just like Ryan Murphy.**

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><p>To see Blaine walk in the choir room that afternoon came as a surprise to Kurt, but he remained attentive as the boy walked cautiously to Mr. Schuester. They spoke for a moment, Blaine wearing a small smile, though what they had said was a mystery due to the overbearing sound of New Directions gossip.<p>

Mr Schuester stepped forward, giving Blaine an introduction, but Kurt paid little attention to it. Blaine didn't seem particularly nervous, and for whatever reason, Rachel had a knowing smile slowly spreading across her face. The piano chimed in as Kurt realized their teacher was to the side, leaving the room open to Blaine. Recognizing the tune immediately, Kurt smiled before Blaine began to sing.

_One minute I'm in Central Park_

_Then I'm down on Delancey Street_

_From the Bow'ry to St Marks_

_There's a syncopated beat_

Singing the back-up vocals along with Rachel as best he could, Kurt watched Blaine dance around the room with smooth, jazzy steps. He didn't seem to notice much what he was doing, focusing on the lyrics as he came to the chorus.

_Why should I worry?_

_Why should I care?_

_I may not have a dime_

_But I got street savoire faire_

_Why should I worry?_

_Why should I care?_

_It's just bebopulation_

_And I got street saviore faire_

A few other people caught on to the vocals, singing 'ooo's softly so as to not drown out Blaine's belting of the song. Kurt had closed his eyes, swaying to the music, but felt a tug on his fingertips before being launching into Blaine's arms. For a moment, he struggled to follow the continuous dancing, but Blaine held him close through it, guiding his body into the steps.

_Ev'rything goes_

_Ev'rything fits_

_They love me at the Chelsea_

_They adore me at the Ritz_

Kurt felt the stinging gazes of his friends on his back, but he held fast to one separate from the rest. He began wondering how he hadn't notice the bright, sharp tone of gold in Blaine's eyes before. This only led to more questions including how they looked without being diminished by lenses. Before he could remove the offenders, the song ended, and Blaine released his hold to walk towards Mr. Schuester. Kurt remained dazed and still until Rachel linked an arm through his and all but dragged him to his seat.

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say," Mr. Schuester said with a clap, "Welcome to New Directions!"

The members laughed and cheered, giving Blaine pats on the back with hugs from Rachel and Brittany. Kurt, however, stayed rigid in his seat. He gazed at the boy oddly, as if he had not seen him for a long time and was now trying to decipher what had changed.

Because something had changed.

It had to do with the strange pull in his chest and flutter of his stomach when Blaine spoke. It was the tingling of his skin where Blaine had grabbed him. It was feeling of floating when Blaine smiled.

It was the burn of his neck as Santana stared daggers from behind his back.

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><p><strong>See? Important stuff happened. Try not to think of the short chapters, but the quick updates. Think of each day as a chapter, meaning we haven't even finished two yet, but you still get to read chunks of it! <strong>**It's not the best way to work for some, but I like the way it works for me.**

**The song is _Why Should I Worry? _by Billy Joel. You may know it from the movie _Oliver & Company_! (Blaine is a dork, okay?) Honestly, most of this chapter wrote itself. It was really a surprise for me as much as for you. Although, it feels a little fast at the moment, so don't be upset if I slow it down a bit (watch the opposite accidentally happen).**

**You guys have really developed your opinions so quickly! It's crazy! But I wouldn't settle your feelings yet because there's more to come! (You'll love Kurt now, won't you? Just because of this moment.) **


	4. Chapter 4: A Berry Interesting Plan

**I honestly didn't think I'd update before the weekend was over.**

**And I was right.**

**It is currently almost 3am on Monday morning. What am I doing?**

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><p>Kurt was well away of Santana's presence beside him as he exited the school, though he tried to ignore it. Nothing good would come of a conversation with her. He walked through the parking lot to his car, searching through his bag for his keys simultaneously. She still stood next to him, smirking.<p>

"Nothing, huh?"

Kurt rounded on her, his frustration finally sending him over the end. Blaine has disregarded him the rest of glee practice, leaving Kurt to wonder if he didn't feel the stare being aimed at him or if he was just uninterested. His final attempt to interact with him before the next day was stomped out by Blaine's early departure for an appointment. He had hurried out of the practice room, Rachel staring at his back with a confused look on her face. And now, Kurt couldn't find his keys.

"Nothing is happening between me and Blaine!" he shouted, "Nothing will _ever _happen between me and Blaine! He's a dork who wears glasses and _bowties_, for crying out loud! Who does that? I don't care if dances with me! I don't care if proclaims his love for me or stares at me with _those eyes_! I don't care if he grabs me and kisses-"

"You've got it bad," Santana interrupted, her evil smile melting into one more sympathetic.

"Yeah," Kurt muttered as he came down from his adrenaline rush, leaning back onto his car door. "Yeah, I do."

"And you know what'll happen if anyone finds out? Popularity down the drain. Back to being shoved into lockers and slushied. Maybe even kicked off the Cheerios."

Surprisingly enough, this had barely crossed Kurt's mind. Though, no matter how many times the situation played over in his head, he still preferred Blaine's arms around him to safety and a cheerleading solo.

"I know," Kurt sighed. "It's not like he'd want to be around me anyway."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Santana said softly, squeezing his hand, before turning on her heel to grab the arm of an impatient Brittany.

Kurt pulled off his shoulder bag to check its contents once more, only to discover his keys were already in his hand. Shrugging it back on, he unlocked his doors and climbed in before driving towards the coffee shop. A little caffeine couldn't hurt. Or a lot.

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><p>Blaine groaned when he heard the soft knocking on his door. Sure, he had been expecting it, but that didn't make it any easier. After shouting 'come in' and tossing the homework he had been working on, he sat crossed-legged on his bed. The door opened enough for Rachel to pop her head in before tentatively walking over and taking a seat next to Blaine.<p>

"I talked to Dad-" Rachel began before Blaine raised a hand, interrupting her.

"No, I didn't have an appointment."

"So, why the sudden urge to leave in the middle of rehearsal?" Rachel asked, though she had an idea of what the answer was.

Blaine leaned back, lying down on his bed with his hands over his face.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Yes, you do," Rachel stated as she pried his hands away. "Does this have anything to do with my gorgeous best friend dancing with you during glee club?"

"Nope."

"Are we really playing this game?"

"What game?" Blaine asked innocently, "Because I'm pretty sure this is about to turn into the 'Slap Your Brother Until He Bleeds' game."

"You're right on target there," Rachel mumbled before bringing back a cheery smile. "So, you're interested in Kurt."

"I never said that," Blaine sang.

"You didn't need to," she countered with the same tune.

"I guess I just can't decide if I really like him or if I want kick him."

Rachel hummed for a moment, before leaping off of the bed.

"Wait, where are you going?" Blaine asked, sitting up.

"Out. That's all I needed to know."

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><p>"He likes him." Rachel whispered excitedly.<p>

Santana and Brittany were sitting across the table from her at Breadsticks, the latter playing with a meatball. Santana sipped her drink thoughtfully, avoiding looking directly at Rachel's outfit for fear of gagging.

"You're sure of this?" Satana replied cautiously.

"Well, either that or he wants to kick him. I think it's a good sign."

Santana sighed, her head dropping into her hand.

"This is why I didn't want to work with you," she muttered. "I practically got a declaration of love out of Babyface."

"I think they love each other," Brittany stated.

"Well, we'll have to figure out if they feel the same," Santana said before spearing the meatball with her fork and biting into it.

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><p><strong>I thought this was longer, but I suppose not. Oh, well. I've given up on long chapters. Anyone hate my puns as much as I do? The answer is no. No one does. But I can't stop because I'm terrible.<strong>

**I love feedback so feel free to offer it!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Berry Odd Story

**Hello! I'm sorry this update took longer than most. I've been having my traditional 'after the fourth chapter oh crap what do I do next' writer's block. It's a sad, sad curse. Plus, there's finals next week because my school likes to mess with my head. But you don't care about that! I managed to write most of this in class today, so it's not much, but whatever!**

**Unfortunately, I cannot buy Glee at the moment to obtain the Michael Jackson episode. Shucks.**

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><p>Kurt clicked his pen nervously in his hand.<p>

"So… You set the exponents equal to each other." he said slowly, more of a question than a statement. Blaine chuckled a little before taking the pen from Kurt and writing the steps of the problem out.

"No," he said as he wrote. "You have to reduce the base first so they're equal." Kurt nodded, his eyes trained on the answer Blaine had just summoned. "You have no idea what I just did, do you?"

"Not one clue," Kurt sighed. Blaine studied him for a moment before dropping the pen and leaning back in his chair.

"What's your deal?" he said, not in a harsh way, but more confused. "From what I gather, you used to be a fantastic student. This shouldn't be that hard."

"It isn't by itself. What makes it hard are the dance routines and songs and backflips being repeatedly crammed in my head along with it. It's a lot to take in."

"Then why are you in Cheerios? It doesn't seem like it'd be that fun with Miss Sylvester constantly screaming at you," Blaine said. "And if it's affecting your grades, it doesn't seem like it'd be worth it."

"That's just it, though. It is worth it. The ability to walk down the hallway with everyone at your feet. That's what it's all for," Kurt murmured.

"You're lying," Blaine stated.

"What?" Kurt asked, surprised with the bluntness of the words.

"There's no way this is about being at the top of the school," Blaine continued. "I can see Santana, Brittany, Puck, _even Rachel_ doing something like that. Not you, though."

"And what gives you the right to assume you know me?"

"Because I was you once." Kurt felt his jaw slacken when those words left Blaine's mouth.

"Explain," he demanded.

"In middle school, Blaine Berry was synonymous with cool," Blaine said. "Captain of the football team, likable guy, ladies' man."

"But you're-"

"They didn't know that," Blaine explained, reading Kurt's thoughts. "As far as they knew, I was straight as an arrow." He hesitated before continuing. "I was just trying to survive. It wasn't exactly fun to be slammed around on a football field by guys twice my size due to my long-awaited - but disappointing - growth spurt." This earned a chuckle. "I didn't like going out with girls, kissing them… And I didn't enjoy putting others through what I was trying to avoid. I know that you probably feel the same way," Blaine finished before standing up, his bag slung over his shoulder. "See you after school."

Kurt remained stunned as he watched the exit Blaine had just used, wondering how the geek never failed to leave him breathless.

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><p>"Exactly how true is the anecdote your brother has just given me?" Kurt asked Rachel before their last class.<p>

"May I ask what this story was about?"

"Middle school. Blaine. Popular. Straight."

"Yes, yes, yes, and as straight as a gay man with a love of fashion can pretend to be," Rachel answered simply.

"And how did that morph into what we have now?"

"One, I'm liking the 'we'. Two, I can't exactly tell you. It's not my information to give," she stated, staring down the hallway. Kurt followed her gaze and was met with a goofy smile framed by glasses and a bowtie.

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><p><strong>Yay! So because I know there are a lot of typical ways this prompt can go, I'm trying to spin it around. Interesting yet? Aw dang, no Santana this chapter. Boo. Wait, I wrote it. Whoops. For some reason, Blaine won't be as nerdy as I want him to be. Dang him and his boyish charm.<strong>


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